Retirement on the shores of Lake Erie
“We loved living in Toronto with lots of friends and everything at our fingertips, but once we retired we took advantage of the price we could get for our house in Toronto and looked for a home in an adult lifestyle community,” says Ed Gingras. He and his wife Gisela (“GG”) visited many communities before choosing Dover Coast, a community in Port Dover. “We fell in love with the area, and once we visited the showroom we realized we were getting more home for a more affordable price at Dover Coast.”
Dover Coast is an Adult Lifestyle Community of bungalows, with detached homes ranging in size from 1,579 square feet to homes with lofts that go up to 2,697 square feet, says Trish Ehrlick, Dover Coast’s director of sales and marketing. “The builder will customize floor plans as well as finishings so you can really tailor your home.” There are also bungalow-style town homes with one- or two-car garages. “Our homes are solid clay brick or hardiboard with stone skirting in a variety of colours, which gives the community lots of variety and a Cape Cod feel.”
Residents of Dover Coast own their property, says Ehrlick. “It’s not a land lease. There’s a small maintenance fee for yard work and snow removal.” This allows residents to enjoy the variety of outdoor activities accessible many months of the year due to the temperate weather conditions common to the area.
Buying a property comes with three free years of pickleball and golf at the links-style course. Homeowners also receive discounts at David’s Restaurant on the lake, which includes a martini lounge upstairs, a restaurant on the main level and a day spa on the lower level. “The spa features a three-level infinity deck with floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the lake and a 30-foot swim dock with stairs and railing into the warm waters of Lake Erie for residents to enjoy.”
The developer is also building a new medical centre on the 500-acre property, along with a hotel which will house the golf pro shop. A shopping plaza and retirement residence is also in the works.
“The Lynn Valley Trail runs through Port Dover, great for walking and cycling, and nearby Black Creek is great for canoeing and kayaking,” says Ehrlick. Other amenities include a leash-free dog run and three years of free indoor storage for recreational vehicles.
Just 15 minutes from Simcoe and 30 minutes from Ancaster, Port Dover is “very quaint,” says Ehrlick, “with a wide variety of shops and restaurants. And what you can’t find in Port Dover, you can get in Simcoe and Ancaster.”
Dover Coast is a community in every sense. “Residents here are all similar in age and interests,” says Gingras. “We’ve developed some great friendships here — we enjoy the amenities, we socialize and we help each other out.”
Find out more at dovercoast.ca.